Ahead of Strikeforce Debut, Ferguson Has Little Margin for Error

Dr. Rhadi
Ferguson primes for his promotional debut in Strikeforce with
the understanding that his margin for error will be narrower than
most aspiring mixed martial artists.

A four-time national judo champion and 2004 Olympian, Ferguson will
meet South Carolina’s John
Richard in a featured light heavyweight matchup at Strikeforce
“Challengers 13” on Friday at the Nashville Municipal
Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Some might questions the wisdom of
entering into MMA at such an advanced athletic age, but Ferguson,
35, has his reasons.

“I’m doing it because I can,” Ferguson told Sherdog.com, “and
because a time will come when I cannot. I don’t want to look back
and think I passed up an opportunity to do something exciting.
Russell Simmons has a great book out called ‘Do You!’ That’s what
I’m doing.

“I sat back and said to myself, ‘I’d really like to get in there
and mix it up,” he added. “I really want to learn the art of being
a pugilist. I enjoy the cognitive side of the sport, not just the
athletic side. MMA is a phenomenal sport. It’s like a chess match.
I like that aspect. For me, it’s more mental than physical, and
it’s always been like that.”

A black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Ferguson holds a Ph.D
in education from Capella University in Minneapolis. The cousin of
Internet street-fighting sensation and UFC veteran Kevin “Kimbo
Slice” Ferguson, the 35-year-old father of two was named the
2001-02 United States Federation International Senior Male Athlete
of the Year. Ferguson, a protégé of Judo Jack Williams, remains the
only athlete ever to compete in the Olympics, the Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu World Championships and the Abu Dhabi Combat Club
Submission Wrestling World Championships. He draws heavily upon his
Olympic experience.

“I don’t get nervous,” Ferguson said. “I competed at the Olympics,
the largest sporting event in the world. I competed on the biggest
stage. There’s nothing like it.”

Based at
American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., Ferguson has
impressed ATT boxing coach Howard Davis Jr. with his willingness to
learn and work ethic.

“Rhadi is a natural athlete,” said Davis, who won an Olympic gold
medal in boxing in 1976. “He’s one of those guys who can improvise
in a split second. He’s fast learner. Sometimes you get fighters
who don’t know what they’re doing striking and they look at you
like you’ve got three eyes, but he understands what I’m saying to
him.”

Unbeaten in two professional appearances, Ferguson was offered
contracts by both Strikeforce and Bellator Fighting Championships,
which will feature a light heavyweight tournament in 2011. He chose
to sign with the former. Ferguson remains grounded in reality, and
his MMA goals reflect his position.

“I want to win … and then win the next one and the next one, and
then before my contract is renewed, I want to sit down with my team
and say, ‘Hey, man. Do I have a shot, or am I at the point of
diminishing returns. I don’t know if I’m good or if I’m not good.
You don’t know until you get out there.”

“The level at which I was coaching was a lot different than the
level at which I was fighting,” Ferguson said. “I didn’t have an
appreciation for the little guy in MMA until I became one of the
little guys. I didn’t know there were people wrapping their own
hands [at these events]. It gave me a better appreciation now when
I coach.”

Ferguson, who has also trained extensively with Lloyd Irvin,
understands better than anyone that Father Time will be working
against him.

“I need to learn from some of the best,” he said. “I sit down and I
listen and I learn. I have to scale this ladder as quickly as I
can. At 35, I don’t have a lot of time to do stuff wrong.”